The present invention relates to playyards in which small children can be placed, and particularly to a separate playyard canopy that mounts to the top of a playyard frame to cover the playyard. More particularly, the present invention relates to a collapsible canopy for mounting on a playyard and folding between a collapsed storage configuration and an opened playyard-covering configuration.
Playyards in which small children can be placed are well known. Playyards are typically configured as cubicles having a floor panel and side panels extending upwardly therefrom to confine the child within the playyard so that the child is prevented from wandering away from the playyard. Some conventional playyards are collapsible allowing the playyard to be folded from an opened playyard configuration to a collapsed compact storage configuration. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,006 to Teng and U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,437 to Dillner et al.
Playyards usually have open tops so that a person attending to the child can place the child into and remove the child from the playyard easily. In addition, the side panels of conventional playyards are usually somewhat transparent so that the person attending to the child can see into the playyard to observe the activities of the child and so that the child can see out of the playyard to observe the surrounding environment. When a playyard is exposed to direct sunlight, the open top permits the sunlight to shine into the playyard potentially making the child contained in the playyard uncomfortable. The open top of the playyard also permits other objects to enter the playyard.
Playyard covers that can be attached to the playyard to cover the open top of the playyard are known. See, for example, the HAPPY CABANA.TM. Play Yard disclosed in the Evenflo 1995 Baby Products Catalog at page 12.
What is needed is a playyard cover that can be attached to a playyard and folded between an opened configuration covering the playyard so that sunlight is blocked from entering the playyard and a collapsed configuration allowing for access to the playyard and providing for easy storage of the playyard cover when detached from the playyard. A playyard cover that completely encloses the open top of the playyard when in the opened playyard-covering configuration to prevent insects and other objects from entering the playyard is also desired.
According to the present invention, a collapsible playyard canopy is provided for covering the top of a playyard. The canopy includes a canopy frame, a cover appended to the frame, and mounting brackets configured to releasably grip the top rail of a playyard frame and to support the canopy frame and cover in an opened configuration overlying the open top of the playyard.
In preferred embodiments, the playyard canopy includes a cloth cover that traverses the open top of the playyard. The cloth cover has an opaque top panel which extends longitudinally end-to-end across the playyard and transparent side panels that extend from the opaque top panel down to lateral sides of the playyard. The canopy frame is collapsible and supports the cloth cover of the playyard canopy above the top of the playyard when the canopy frame is unfolded to the opened configuration.
The canopy frame of the present invention includes a pair of spaced-apart mounting brackets that snap onto side rails of the playyard and a plurality of U-shaped frame members connecting the mounting brackets together. Each U-shaped frame member has a pair of side struts and a cross strut therebetween. Each side strut has an end hingedly connected to a respective mounting bracket so that the U-shaped frame members pivot about a common pivot axis. Each cross strut is received within one of a plurality of spaced-apart transversely-extending sleeves formed in the top panel of the cloth cover so that the cloth cover opens and collapses when the U-shaped frame members are opened and collapsed relative to the mounting brackets.
The U-shaped frame members can be folded together placing the canopy in a collapsed configuration having the plurality of cross struts adjacent to one another. When the canopy is in the collapsed configuration, the cloth cover is bunched together and loosely hangs between the U-shaped frame members. The U-shaped frame members can be unfolded from the collapsed configuration to an opened configuration having the U-shaped frame members generally evenly fanned out over the open top of the playyard. When the canopy is in the opened configuration, the cloth cover is pulled taut between successive U-shaped frame members.
An elastic band is attached at a bottom edge of the cloth canopy and can be stretched around the playyard perimeter adjacent to the top end rails and top side rails of the playyard. The bottom edge of the cloth canopy can encompass the playyard allowing the elastic band to contract against the sides and ends of the playyard to secure the bottom edge of the canopy firmly against the playyard. Thus, the cloth cover completely encloses the open top of the playyard. The elastic band cooperates with the cloth cover to hold the U-shaped frame members in the opened configuration fanned out over the top of the playyard.
Several embodiments of the above-described playyard canopy are contemplated. For example, one embodiment of the playyard canopy includes five U-shaped frame members hingedly coupled to one another by a single pair of spaced-apart mounting brackets. Another embodiment of the playyard canopy includes three U-shaped frame members hingedly coupled to one another by a single pair of spaced-apart mounting brackets and yet another embodiment of the playyard canopy includes only two U-shaped frame members.
A further embodiment of the playyard canopy includes two pairs of spaced-apart mounting brackets with each pair of mounting brackets being hingedly coupled to two U-shaped frame members of the canopy frame. Still another embodiment of the playyard canopy includes two pairs of spaced-apart mounting brackets with each pair of mounting brackets being hingedly coupled to only one U-shaped frame member. An additional embodiment of the playyard canopy includes a one-piece U-shaped frame member coupled to a multi-piece U-shaped frame member by a single pair of spaced-apart mounting brackets.
In addition, the length of the side struts of the canopy frame can be varied to provide for either a "tall" canopy having a portion of the cloth cover extending well above the top side rail of the playyard or a "short" canopy having the cloth cover extending only slightly above the top side rail of the playyard. If the playyard is of the folding type having a removable mattress pad with four articulated sections that can be folded around a collapsed frame of the playyard and fastened together to provide a box-like carrying structure, then the side struts of the U-shaped frame members could be limited in length so that the collapsed playyard canopy can be stored in a pouch attached to one of the articulated sections of the mattress pad.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.